Origin of a cryptic lineage in a threatened reptile through isolation and historical hybridization

Identifying phylogenetically distinct lineages and understanding the evolutionary processes by which they have arisen are important goals of phylogeography. This information can also help define conservation units in endangered species. Such analyses are being transformed by the availability of geno...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heredity 2016-11, Vol.117 (5), p.358-366
Main Authors: Sovic, M G, Fries, A C, Gibbs, H L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cluster Analysis
Conservation
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered Species
Evolution, Molecular
Genetics, Population
Genomics
Hybridization
Hybridization, Genetic
Iowa
Models, Genetic
Original
Phylogenetics
Phylogeography
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Population Dynamics
Rare species
Reptiles
Reptiles & amphibians
Rivers
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Sistrurus
Sistrurus catenatus
Snakes
Threatened species
United States
Viperidae - genetics
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Summary:Identifying phylogenetically distinct lineages and understanding the evolutionary processes by which they have arisen are important goals of phylogeography. This information can also help define conservation units in endangered species. Such analyses are being transformed by the availability of genomic-scale data sets and novel analytical approaches for statistically comparing different historical scenarios as causes of phylogeographic patterns. Here, we use genomic-scale restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) data to test for distinct lineages in the endangered Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus). We then use coalescent-based modeling techniques to identify the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for the origin of the lineages in this species. We find equivocal evidence for distinct phylogenetic lineages within S. catenatus east of the Mississippi River, but strong support for a previously unrecognized lineage on the western edge of the range of this snake, represented by populations from Iowa, USA. Snakes from these populations show patterns of genetic admixture with a nearby non-threatened sister species (Sistrurus tergeminus). Tests of historical demographic models support the hypothesis that the genetic distinctiveness of Iowa snakes is due to a combination of isolation and historical introgression between S. catenatus and S. tergeminus. Our work provides an example of how model-based analysis of genomic-scale data can help identify conservation units in rare species.
ISSN:0018-067X
1365-2540
DOI:10.1038/hdy.2016.56